Is Charleston cheaper than Colorado Springs?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Charleston and Colorado Springs metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Charleston or Colorado Springs?

Household incomes are similar — $90,307 in the Charleston metro versus $90,760 in Colorado Springs (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Does a paycheck go further in Charleston or Colorado Springs?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($89,447 versus $90,123).

Which has cheaper rent, Charleston or Colorado Springs?

Charleston has cheaper rent — a median of $1,714/mo versus $1,761/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Charleston vs Colorado Springs

Metro-area medians — Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area vs Colorado Springs, CO Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Charleston comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 5 clearly-decided measures.

Charleston and Colorado Springs are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

Their widest everyday difference: Charleston has the tighter job market — 3% unemployment versus 5.1%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Charleston, SC

$58,400

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$57,844

real value after local prices

Colorado Springs, CO

$58,707

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$58,294

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Colorado Springs leaves you about $451/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Charleston

Colorado Springs

Livability (CityLedger)

67/100

63/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

101.0

100.7

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$89,447

$90,123

Median household income

$90,307

$90,760

Median rent

$1,714/mo

$1,761/mo

Median home value

$430,300

$487,900

Unemployment

5.1%

Bachelor's degree or higher

42.2%

42.8%

Average commute

29.4 min

24.8 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

67°F

50°F

Choose Charleston for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Charleston profile →

Choose Colorado Springs for

+ Average commute

Full Colorado Springs profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Charleston and Colorado Springs on cost, income, size, and education.

Charleston vs Worcester→Charleston vs Jacksonville→Charleston vs Richmond→Colorado Springs vs Boise City→Colorado Springs vs Salt Lake City→Colorado Springs vs Ogden→

Charleston vs Colorado Springs — frequently asked

Is Charleston cheaper than Colorado Springs?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Charleston and Colorado Springs metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Charleston or Colorado Springs?: Household incomes are similar — $90,307 in the Charleston metro versus $90,760 in Colorado Springs (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Charleston or Colorado Springs?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($89,447 versus $90,123).
Which has cheaper rent, Charleston or Colorado Springs?: Charleston has cheaper rent — a median of $1,714/mo versus $1,761/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).